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Having trouble installing a piece of hardware? Want to know if that peripheral is compatible with Linux?

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Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide

This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter.
For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. They hope these examples will help you to get a better understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try out things on your own.

I hate theses windows-only devices...
I have a new 512MB usb stick that works fine in Windows.

But in Linux, I have no sucess to use one of them. Amazing the effort the companies invest just to something work ONLY inwindows. I mean, it not work better than a regular device. It just work in Windows.

But trying to access the /dev/sdc ("file -s /dev/sdc", "fdisk /dev/sdc" and even desesperated housewifes, ops, wrong channel, I mean, desesperated commands like "dd if=/dev/sdd of=/dev/sdc" (/dev/sdd is a working usb stick of same size, 512M) or even "dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdc", results in timeout/hang with error messages in /var/log/messages:

I already follow this thread, no luck.
First of all, there is no partition table that could be read from /dev/sdc. So, there is no /dev/sdc1 to mount.
Even so, if a try to mount /dev/sdc as the thread you pointed, the mount command hangs forever, with the same error messages in /var/log/messages.

I even try to create a image of the usb stick to try to mount as loopback device and analyze it, with "dd if=/dev/sdc of/tmp/sdc.data", but the command hangs as every other command I tried with the same kernel messages. In this particular case, the dd times-out after a couple of minutes;

This looks more like a usb driver problem or a hardware problem. Are you sure your usb stack is up to date?

What happens if you boot the same system into Windows? Can you do that? If you do, is the stick functional then? I am wondering if there is some possibility that your USB port(s) are insufficiently powered or some such. Wouldn't think so, but...

Yes, my personal machine has dual boot, but don't tell to anyone
The other system is Windows XP SP2 and it recognized the usb stick in the first time, no need to install any drives or any unusual procedures.

Right clicking in My Computer Icon/Manage Computer, and opening the disk manager, showed the F: disk as Removable media. Right there, I right clicked on the drive and choose to format as FAT32. (The original format was FAT16).

I successfully wrote files and directories to the disk until it almost full in capacity.
I unplugged it and plugged it again, all files are there. I delete the files without any problems.

So, I am sure it works in windows in this same hardware and USB port.

And as additional information, I tried to access this usb stick in a Win98 machine, but it not recognized it, but I think it is normal in windows 98.
Another test was to wrote mp3 files on it and plug it on my mp3 car player which has a usb port to play mp3 files.
Guess what ? The player does not recognized the usb stick. Nothing happens !

Just to close this thread.
Looks like it was a kernel problem. Upgrading my Fedora 7 to Linux babylon5.xxxxx.com.br 2.6.22.1-27.fc7 #1 SMP Tue Jul 17 17:13:26 EDT 2007 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux, the SAME usb stick is working now.

Many people have problem with the new models of USB products on the market, as they have new chipsets that causes the problem, I use a usb enclosure case witha 2.5inch hard drive in it as usb, the case is very old and it works, we changed to new case it just reads, the problem is the new chip is not supported, it be appreciate if you give a specific instruction where to go and how to download, install so the problem is rectified, as many people are not experienced LINUX user, be better if the instruction is detailed and in simple language